Appalachian State University says its new seven-year, $35 million federal GEAR UP award will support college and career preparation for about 14,000 middle- and high-school students and their families in Western North Carolina. The program, GEAR UP APEX Northwest, began Oct. 1 and is the second consecutive $35 million GEAR UP grant awarded to the university, according to Appalachian Today.
The reported service-area figures vary across coverage, and the accounts concern different grant cycles. Appalachian Today says the current Northwest program includes 11 school districts and four North Carolina higher-education partners. A 2024 EdNC report described that cycle as covering 11 districts plus Cherokee Central School on the Qualla Boundary, with eight higher-education partners and a target of nearly 14,500 students and families. The available accounts do not establish whether the differences reflect changed program boundaries or reporting methods.
For the current award, the Watauga Democrat identifies the 11 districts as Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Alexander, Caldwell, Mitchell, Surry, Watauga, Wilkes, Yadkin and Yancey counties. It reports that they include 31 middle schools and 27 high schools. The four college partners named by Appalachian Today are Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Catawba Valley Community College, Mayland Community College and Wilkes Community College.
Services and results
GEAR UP is a federally funded college-access program intended to help students prepare for education after high school. The Watauga Democrat reports that its supported pathways include college, credentials, apprenticeships, workforce training and military service. In reporting by 88.5 WFDD, Office of Rural Promise Deputy Director Corinne Smith said the program offers campus visits beginning in sixth grade; WFDD also reported that qualifying participants receive guaranteed admission to App State if they meet a series of UNC System admission requirements.
App State cited 2024–25 results from participating schools: 97% of students were on track to graduate by the end of ninth grade, and 98% graduated from high school on time, compared with an 88% statewide average. The university also reported that 68% of ninth graders in GEAR UP schools met the Math I End-of-Course proficiency standard, versus 35% statewide. These are university-reported figures carried by Appalachian Today and the Watauga Democrat, not independent evaluations presented here.
Grant timeline and broader reach
App State has run federal GEAR UP programming in most years since 1999, according to Appalachian Today. The new award will operate alongside a $29.8 million grant awarded in 2020, which continues through 2027, and a $35 million award from 2024, which runs through 2031. The latest funding is scheduled to support operations through 2033. The university says its GEAR UP NC Appalachian Partnership programs, taken together, serve about 42,000 students in 22 Western North Carolina school districts.
The project is led by Office of Rural Promise Executive Director James Beeler, Deputy Director Corinne Smith and GEAR UP Director Doug Thompson, the Watauga Democrat reports. Appalachian Today says the university expects the new award to extend the program’s reach to additional Western North Carolina counties. Those descriptions and the grant details above rely chiefly on the university’s announcement; the Watauga Democrat’s coverage also reproduces many of its details, so the central account remains dependent on that source rather than on independent reporting.
